Tips on Disaster Giving

In the wake of the devastating tornadoes that ripped through Oklahoma and in north Texas recently, Better Business Bureau and BBB Wise Giving Alliance have issued tips to help donors make smart giving decisions and to avoid scams.

“After every natural disaster and manmade catastrophe, we see an outpouring of generosity, along with the inevitable scams and frauds,” said Art Taylor, preside and CEO of the BBB Wise Giving Alliance. “We urge donors to take the time to make sure their donations are going to legitimate charities that can do the most good for those in need.”

“BBB Oklahoma City is so grateful for the immediate response from people all across the country,” said Kitt Letcher, the brand new president and CEO of BBB of Central Oklahoma, who started in the position just yesterday. “We will be keeping a close eye on the situation in order to prevent, as much as possible, scams related to charity relief, as well as restoration and rebuilding services.”

BBB Wise Giving Alliance is offering the following tips to help donors decide where to direct donations to assist victims:

·         Be cautious when giving online. Be cautious about online giving, especially in response to unsolicited spam messages, and emails and social media posts that claim to link to a relief organization. If you want to give to a charity involved in relief efforts, go directly to the charity’s website. In response to hurricane Katrina, and Rita, and the Asian tsunamis, the FBI and others raised concerns about websites and new organizations that were created overnight, allegedly to help victims.

·         Rely on expert opinion when it comes to evaluating a charity. Be cautious when relying on third-party recommendations such as bloggers or other websites, as they may not have fully researched the relief organizations they list. They public can go to www.bbb.org/charity to research charities and verify that they are accredited by the BBB and meet the 20 Standards for Charity Accountability.

·         Be wary of claims that 100 percent of the donations will assist relief victims. Despite what an organization might claim, charities have fun raising and administrative costs. Even a credit card donation will involve, at a minimum, a processing fee. If a charity claims 100 percent of collected funds will be assisting disaster victims, the truth is that the organization is still probably incurring fund raising and administrative costs, but those expenses will still be incurred.

·         Find out if the charity has an on-the-ground presence in the impacted areas. Unless the charity already has staff in the affected areas, it may be difficult to bring in new aid workers to provide assistance quickly. See if the charity’s website clearly describes what the charity can do to address immediate needs.

·         Find out if the charity is providing direct aid or raising money for other groups. Some charities may be raising money to pass along to relief organizations. If so, you may want to consider “avoiding the middleman” and giving directly to those that have a presence in the region. Or, at a minimum, check out the ultimate recipients of these donations to see whether they are equipped to provide aid effectively.

·         Gifts of clothing, food and other in-kind donations. In-kind drives for food and clothing, while well intentioned, may not necessarily be the quickest way to help those in need – unless the organization has the staff and infrastructure to distribute such aid properly. Ask the charity about its transportation and distribution plans. Be wary of those who are not experienced in disaster relief assistance.

Sanibel-Captiva Islander (June 5, 2013)